Jacine
by Windsong
Summary: Discontinued. A hundred years ago, a legendary story unfolded. Three figures are set in stone to remind the future—but does anyone truly remember?
1. Chapter 1

Konnichiwa, minna! Look! This is my small outcry against all the "other" pokemon fics out there. I mean, don't those "random person #14327 goes on a pokemon quest and does the exact same thing as Ash" fics get on your nerves? Well, they get on mine...so I decided to write a fic with an actual plot. And here it is!

Avi: what happened to the disclaimers?

Windsong: Oh, yeah, that…Don't own Pokèmon, never will. It's owned by Satoshi Tajiri (I think that's how you spell his name), who invented it, and Game Freak Inc., Creatures Inc., 4Kids entertainment, and (for the moment) Kids WB. Oh, and Nintendo as well. sigh so many people…HOWEVER! Jacine, Azulan, Alex, and any other people that come up in this fic that weren't in the original story line of Pokèmon are property of me! They're MINE, ya hear? looks around menacingly Okay, glad you understand. -Avirilli sweatdrops-

Oh...did I mention that this fic is set 100 years before Ash (Satoshi) and the other people are born? I didn't? Oops...Well, it is. So I'm changing the rules a bit...they can travel to Jhoto, they know about it, however none of the new pokemon OR new moves from Silver/Gold/Crystal apply, because...well...they haven't been discovered yet. -sweatdrop- The fact that this is set in the past is important—keep it in mind, okay?

By the way—Agate blue is a blue-grey color. A surcoat is basically a duster.

Enjoy!

Stuff in ( ) are author's notes.

* * *

Jacine  
_By Windsong_  
**Chapter One**

A tall, athletic-looking girl sat with a regal air on the back of a Rapidash. From the cliff where she stood, the young woman's agate blue eyes calmly watched the ever-changing sea below her that sparkled in the rising sun. She looked to be about fourteen or fifteen, but her eyes gave off a sense of experience. Her hair, black as night and shiny as a raven's wing, had four golden streaks running through it. Though at times she tied it into a braid or pulled it into a high ponytail, for the moment her hair was was loose, flowing down to reach her waist, with a kerchief covering her head and keeping most of it back. The wind whipped around her, making her hair flutter and setting her Rapidash's flaming mane and tail to dancing.

The girl wore a loose white, collared, cuffed shirt with long, billowy sleeves. On the collar of her blouse was a pin shaped like an eight-pointed star made of clear, faultless crystal. Over the shirt was a shimmering, sleeveless golden surcoat. It was fitted to her upper body, looking like a vest and tied on the left. It was tied closed at her left breast with thin ribbons attached to the surcoat, twisted up into a large, drooping bow, looking rather similar to a corsage. The surcoat was again secured with a large golden sash which was secured to the edges of the surcoat, and then wrapped around her several times, keeping the "vest" from slipping. When she stood, her surcoat would reach to her mid-calf in front, ending slightly lower in the back, giving a relatively passable imitation of a dress with an empire waist when she stood still. Underneath the "dress," she wore tight navy blue riding breeches and knee-high light brown leather riding boots. When she walked or moved, her surcoat parted above her left thigh, revealing her riding pants in quick flashes. In her hand was a beautiful glaive, which glittered coldly in the dawn light.

Her glaive, along with her Pokèmon, were her most treasured possessions. The handle of the glaive was made of rosewood, and had a design that looked like two ribbons spiraling down the hilt carved into it for better grip. The blade was razor-sharp and made of stainless steel, with an eight-pointed star etched on one side and a blooming rose engraved on the other. Where the handle met the blade were tied four long ribbons which were white except for the last six inches, which were dyed with the colors of the sunrise. On the island where the woman lived, Aspenleaf island, the glaive was not carried for protection anymore as much as ceremony. Every year, all the towns and cities on the island met to have ceremonial battles using their glaives, and the coloration of the ribbons was a way to tell how skilled the person was—white showed that she was two levels away from Master status. Also, the etchings on the blade depicted which city/town the person came from. The blooming rose engraved on her glaive showed that she was from Sunrose City. The eight-pointed star showed that she was a member of the Sunrose City Gym.

Suddenly, a voice broke through the silence of the dawn. "Jacine!"

The woman turned her mount around quickly, her face pensive. Her face quickly lost their wary look and her eyes lit with a kind smile as she caught sight of the young man who was carefully climbing up the rocky incline towards her. "Good morning, Azulan!" she called. "What brings you here so early?"

Azulan winced. "A challenging trainer. He totally creamed us, so now he wants to battle you, O mighty gym leader." He finally climbed the hill and bowed to her, grinning.

Jacine smiled at his antics, and then grew somber once more. "I didn't expect any trainers so early in the morning—and I also didn't expect you to be up."

"I wasn't," came the bright reply. "None of us were. He banged on the door of the gym and yelled until we all woke up. We were still half-asleep when we battled him—that's half the reason we lost."

Jacine's eyes grew hard, and she looked back out over the water. "Yet another trainer with no manners." she sighed.

The gym leader's second-in-command and stubbornly best friend followed her gaze out over the waters. "Why is it that you come here every morning and look over at the mainland? Aspenleaf's your home now."

"Still, I was born in Kanto. I have ties there." Her voice was dreamy, lost in her own thoughts.

Azulan blinked and abruptly turned towards her, smiling again. "Anyway, you've got a battle to fight, so come on!"

When Jacine looked at Azulan again, there was a sparkle in her eyes that hadn't been there before. It was the light of a wolf not just ready for, but eager for an impending battle, both bloodthirsty and nervous, headlong and cautious. "Right!" She wheeled her Rapidash around and was about to urge her into a trot before she realized something. "Want to come?" she asked Azulan.

"Um...no."

"A_zu_lan," she groaned, as the Rapidash stamped impatiently, eager to be off and running, "For the millionth time—Windflame is _not_ going to eat you!"

"Hah! That's what you think. Have you seen how big her teeth are?!"

"And _who's_ trained her from birth?"

"You..."

"And _who_ knows her best?"

"You..."

"And_who_ is telling you that Windflame is NOT going to harm you in any way?"

Azulan threw his hands into the air, laughing. "Fine! I give up! But only because you're my superior, and if I don't she'll begin terrorizing the others!"

Hurt flashed in her eyes for the quickest moment. "Azulan...I'm your superior in title only, you know that."

Azulan swiftly mounted up behind her and tugged on her hair. "Gods, now you're going to be gloomy. Stop being so damned mercurial, or I'll have to teach you how to keep your mind on a battle!"

That wild grin was back on Jacine's face. "Hold on tight, now. She may not eat you, but she _might_ throw you—just for that!"

With that quick warning, the rapidash leaped, making Azulan yell in surprise and instinctively throw his arms around Jacine's waist as she laughed. Suddenly realizing what he was doing, he blushed furiously and snatched his hands back; nearly falling off again, he yelped and clutched onto the ribbon on her waist, deciding it was the most polite solution.

"Jacine...stop laughing!" Azulan complained. Jacine wordlessly shook her head as she laughed harder. The boy pouted, trying to stop blushing as he looked away. "Well, it's a good thing Windflame knows the way," he muttered.

The Sunrose City Gym was a small distance away from the city's heart. However, since the city was surrounded by an ancient forest, the Gym was impossible to see from inside the city itself, and only visible either from the air or from Ceylon Mountain, a inactive volcano that loomed over the city. The path leading to the gym was neat and well-kept, but narrow and hidden by brush, making it easy to overlook. This made sure that if any trainers wanted to challenge Jacine and her band of 15 followers, they would have to search for it first, making sure that only the most determined—or the most hardheaded, according to Azulan—challenged the gym. The Crystal Star Badge, which Jacine gave to those who defeated her, wasn't needed to reach Indigo Plateau, so none but the determined ones usually came anyway. Of course, the challengers tried to ask the townspeople, but Jacine had given explicit instructions that the townspeople were not to tell any challengers where the gym was, only to confirm that the Gym existed.

It was seven thirty AM when Jacine got off Windflame outside the Gym's gates, helped Azulan off, and led her rapidash inside the training hall. Large and spacious, the room had an immensely high ceiling and Victorian-style design. Along with the training hall were nine bedrooms where nine members of the gym always stayed around the clock (out of the fifteen members, at least nine of those Gym members (excluding Jacine) had to be present at the Gym at any given time), with living quarters that the nine in-residence members shared, and a storage room where the badges and necessities for Pokèmon were kept.

Azulan moved ahead of her, throwing both doors open before Jacine walked confidently inside. Once she passed him, Azulan fell into step slightly behind her and to her left. As Jacine entered, the nine gym members that were living there at the moment stood up and bowed deeply. One of them grabbed the challenger's arm and dragged him to his feet. The trainer yelped, unused to such rough treatment.

Jacine bowed back to her understudies, and walked to stand in front of the scowling challenging trainer, holding her glaive and still leading her rapidash. "Welcome to the Sunrose City Gym."

"Yeah, whatever. You're the Leader, right? I want your badge."

Azulan growled softly in the back of his throat. "Jeez, where'd he learn his manners?" he whispered in her ear. "Bluebell would have a cat if she heard him!" In agreement, Windflame snorted. Jacine shot Azulan a disapproving look, making him cringe as she leaned on her Rapidash, silently telling her to be quiet.

"I see," she continued as politely as she could. "What's your name, and where're you from?"

"I'm Alex Akame, from Violet City."

Jacine raised one eyebrow. "Johto-born, are you?"

He nodded.

"Well, let me give you a warning." She twirled her glaive casually, her face settling into a look of cool disdain. The members of the Gym grinned and silently began placing bets on how badly she was going to rip the poor kid apart. "First off, I'm not a pushover gym leader like you might be used to from the Jhoto league." Alex flushed in anger at the insult. "Only eight of the last sixty challengers have defeated me. So if you're here on some stupid dare from your friends or whatever, you can leave now."

Alex folded his arms, the cocky look back on his face. "Eight times, huh?"

Jacine raised her chin and gave the boy a little smile. "And how would _you_ do, Master Akane?" He fell uncomfortably silent.

After pausing long enough to make the challenger squirm a little, she continued. "Here's the second thing. I don't like rude trainers. I usually come down harder on them. And you most definitely qualify as a rude trainer. Banging on a gym's doors at six in the morning? Come on now. Surely you have more common sense than that? Well, actually, probably not, considering." She examined the edge of her blade calmly, ignoring his indignant spluttering. "But, even though you've given me ample reason to just send you back to Johto without taking your challenge-"

Alex couldn't remain quiet any longer. "You can't! The rules clearly state that because I defeated all the members of your gym, you have to battle me! And if you don't, then your gym will be disqualified!" You could just hear the unspoken "so there!"

The corners of Jacine's mouth quirked up slightly in a condescending smile. "As I said—Johto-born. That is how the rules work over there. But not in Kanto, Alex. In _Kanto_ the rules state that the leader must battle a challenging trainer only if the trainer defeats all of her trainers in a row, using no items. And even then, the gym leader may not accept the trainer's challenge in special cases."

"But I _did_ defeat all your trainers! And I didn't use any items!"

Jacine raised her eyes to the ceiling. _'Great. Now he's whining.' _

"Fine. But you haven't defeated all of my trainers in a row—you only defeated four, I think. Right?" Jacine looked at one of the members of the gym, named Circalie, for confirmation. She nodded.

"Yeah, the rest of us haven't woken up yet—I think. Or they're out doing chores."

"But-"

"-And EVEN if you had defeated all nine in-residence trainers, there are fifteen members of this gym, excluding me—not nine. So either way I could refuse you._Nevertheless!_" she continued over his shout of anger, raising a hand to silence him, "I, Jacine Kachira, leader of the Starpoint Gym, accept your challenge." She paused for a moment, '"Unless you want to back out?"

"Of course not!" Was Alex's quick, angry reply.

"Then follow me, please." _'You know not what you do,'_ Jacine thought, quoting her father. Her father...she quickly pushed the painful memory away; now was not the time to be thinking about him. Jacine turned on her heel and walked towards a small door in the back of the gym. Alex and the other gym members followed. Opening the door, she walked onto a well worn dirt pathway that had once been gravel, but over years of use the gravel had disappeared and been replaced by soft pine needles. Suddenly, the path opened into a clearing in the forest, also well beaten-down, except this one was swept clean of all debris and had the lines of a Pokèmon battle area on it. Jacine stopped, and pointed to a low platform to Alex's right. "You will stand there." As Alex walked up to the platform, Jacine walked to the platform on the left and stood on top of it.

"There will be three rounds," she informed him. "Two out of three wins."

"Okay!" Alex yelled back. "Come on! Hitmonchan, go!"

_'Hitmonchan, hmm? Those were only discovered a few months ago...guess I'll have to go on instinct!'_ "Lightstorm, go!" Jacine yelled, grabbing the pokeball that was clipped onto her sash and holding it before her. A reddish-gold beam of light shot from the ball to the ground and solidified into a Jolteon.

"Hitmonchan, comet punch, now!"

"Lightstorm, quick attack!"

The Jolteon dodged Hitmonchan's super-fast attack, but just barely, and was off balance for a moment before he stabilized and tackled the Hitmonchan, knocking it to the ground then leaping away. Hitmonchan quickly got up, however. "Hitmonchan, use comet punch!" Alex ordered his Pokèmon.

"Light, Thunder wave!" Jacine urged. Lightstorm jumped over Hitmonchan's head, both dodging his attack and disorienting him. Then from Lightstorm's spikes small lightning bolts wrapped around the Hitmonchan, forcing Alex's Pokèmon to keep still.

"Now use thunderbolt and finish it off!"

Lightning leaped from one spike to another until it looked like its namesake, a fiery storm of lightning. The Jolteon leaped high into the air and with a loud "JOLTEON!" All the electricity stored in his spikes suddenly streaked towards the paralyzed hitmonchan, making it light up like a light bulb. The Hitmonchan flew backwards from the force of the blast and fainted. Jacine said nothing and kept a serene expression on her face, with only her eyes giving away her amusement. Lightstorm landed and screeched his victory to the morning sky. Alex stomped his foot in disappointment, and both called back their Pokèmon.

"Next round," she called. "Bladedancer, go!" A scyther hovered for a minute, its wings flapping so fast they were a blur, before he landed.

"Kadabra, let's get 'em!" Alex yelled.

_'Kadabra? That was discovered really recently! He's certainly putting me through my paces...'_ Both Pokèmon circled each other warily. _Well, let's get to it-'_ "Bladedancer, double team!" Jacine yelled.

The scyther took to the air again, hovering a few inches off the ground, when a green glow surrounded its body and three scythers appeared where there had only been one before, hovering menacingly.

"What?! You can't throw in extra Pokèmon! That's illegal!" Alex yelled.

"Who ever said I added extra Pokèmon?" she asked contemptuously. "Learn Pokèmon moves, or you'll never survive. Blade, slash!" She called to her scyther.

"Hey, that's not fair!"

"Keep whining and your Kadabra's going to be knocked out faster then you can blink!" The annoyed Gym Leader snapped back. "Now PAY ATTENTION TO THE MATCH!"

Alex did—and saw that his Kadabra was cowering as the three scythers dived down and sliced at his head. But then he looked closer, and saw that instead of trying to watch all three scythers, the kadabra was focusing on only one... _Wait a minute!_ Alex suddenly realized. _Two of the Scythers are illusion!_ "Kadabra! Use psybeam on...that one!" He pointed to the scyther that his Kadabra was watching so intently.

Kadabra's eyes glowed a bright blue, and from the star on his forehead a powerful blast of light shot forward and engulfed the scyther, making the other two vanish. When the scyther was released from his hold, it fell to the ground, knocked out. "Blade!" Jacine called, her voice a high cry, before she called her scyther back into its pokeball. "Well fought. Thank you," she whispered to the pokeball.

Then she turned to Alex. "You won that round, so you toss your Pokèmon out first."

Alex grinned triumphantly at her, and threw out his last Pokèmon. "Go, Spearow!"

Azulan's mouth gaped from where he was watching from the sidelines. "Spearow? That's IT?! What the hell is he thinking?! Either he's being amazingly stupid, or he's trying to insult her..."

Circalie smirked, her eyes riveted to the match. "I think a little of both. He's trying to insult her—and he's stupid enough, and angry enough, to try it even though it may cost him the match." She shrugged. "Whatever. His loss."

Ignoring both of them, Jacine grinned inwardly. _'Hah! Something I recognize!'_ She called, "Let's do it, Oceanine!" Her Pokèmon solidified into a sea lion. "Dew-gong-gong!" it called.

"Spearow, Growl!"

"Oceanine, don't listen to that featherhead!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, FEATHERHEAD?!" Alex yelled at the top of his lungs. Jacine didn't even bother answering.

The Spearow growled menacingly at the Dewgong. However, Oceanine just smiled at it. Spearow stopped for a moment, confused at why its attack didn't work, and Alex sweatdropped.

"Ocean, headbutt it!" The dewgong jumped towards the Spearow. It just barely dived out of the way.

"What good did that do? Spearow, fly!"

Spearow, however, hadn't waited for Alex to give the next order. It was already using fury attack on the Dewgong, missing sometimes and hitting others. The Dewgong yelped whenever it was hit by the sharp beak.

"SPEAROOOW!" Alex yelled/whined. "YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO DO THAT!"

"Seems I was right," Jacine called tauntingly. "It _is_ a featherhead. Ocean! roll!" she commanded.

The dewgong rolled over the spearow, flattening it for a moment and cutting off the attack.

Jacine shook her head sadly. "You really need to train your Pokemon better," she sighed. "Now Oceanine, use Ice Beam!" she called, her voice snapping like a whip.

"Noooo!" Alex cried. "Spearow, get out OF THE WAY!" But too late; the icy blast hit Spearow, nearly knocking it out and freezing it.

"Now use Aurora beam and finish it off!"

"Dew-gong-gong!" it cried, sensing victory. Its eyes sparkled, and it was encircled by a miniature version of the Northern Lights. The aurora turned into a concentrated ball of rainbow light which streaked towards the helpless Spearow. The bird was thrown back into Alex's platform, and when the light faded the bird was out cold (ack! Bad pun!). Alex stomped in anger and called back his fallen Pokèmon.

The challenger from Violet City looked up to see Jacine waiting for him in the center of the battle grounds. One of her understudies had gone into the building and was approaching her with a bouquet of flowers. _'Humph. Probably to award her for defeating another trainer,'_ Alex thought sulkily. He stepped off the platform and walked towards Jacine, shuffling his feet, head down, pulled out his purse, and shoved half of his yen into her hand. Jacine quickly pocketed the money and abruptly stuck her hand underneath his nose. Alex looked up and saw kindness and slight amusement on her face instead of the haughtiness he expected to see. Alex shook her outstretched hand warily.

"Thank you," Jacine said warmly to the crestfallen trainer, shaking his hand quickly. "That was a good battle, and in the custom of Aspenleaf Island, I've never let anyone leave my Gym empty-handed." Alex still looked suspicious, and Jacine sighed. "Here." She handed him the bouquet of flowers. Examining the flowers more closely, he saw that they were roses—but instead of being red they were colored with the pallet of the sunrise. "Those are Sun Roses, the pride and joy of Sunrose City," The Gym Leader explained. "Sunrose City is the only place in the world where you can find these roses. Take these as a parting gift from me."

"Thanks," he said, surprised.

As she escorted Alex to the front of the gym, she asked, "Where are you staying?"

"With my grandparents. Have you heard of them, Xiao Li and Yuji Akame?"

"Oh, yes! Such a nice couple. They have the most beautiful gardens..."

After trading small talk for a while, they eventually stopped when they reached the Gym's doors. "So, Master Akame," Jacine asked, "are you going to come back and challenge me again?"

Alex thought for a few moments. "I'm not sure yet," he honestly answered.

"Have you at least learned from your experiences here?" Alex thought for a moment before he nodded hesitantly. "You have the potential to become a great trainer," Jacine told him. "But you have a long way to go—you have to learn each pokemon's strengths and weaknesses, and especially their moves!" she teased him gently. "Also, remember that courtesy and etiquette will get you much farther in life than abruptness and arrogance—and don't let your self-confidence run off with you! It's good to be sure of yourself, but that doesn't mean you should look down on everyone, either!"

"Um...thanks, I think," Alex said. "But—why are you being so nice now?"

Jacine smiled. "That's another thing you have to learn, but I'm not going to tell you. That's something you'll have to figure out on your own."

In her head, she could hear her mother saying, _'Fully half the battle is mindset. The heat of anger will blind you. Keep your mind cold and impartial, and you will see more. Make your opponents blinded by anger—and they will be too angry to see.'_

Then she heard Azulan chirping in the back of her brain, _'it's all psychology, I tell you! PSYCHOLOGY!'_ And she barely contained a grin.

"And besides..." her smile was ever-so-slightly apologetic. "You really did annoy me. I really do dislike rude people, especially trainers. But now that you hopefully know better, I don't have to be so mean to you.

"Well, may fortune follow you, Alex Akame," she said, following Gym tradition.

Alex bowed to the Gym Leader. "Goodbye, Miss Jacine."

Jacine nodded in return. "Safe travels, Alex." She watched Alex until the twisted, narrow path led him out of her sight, and then she turned and vanished inside.

--

Khyris watched the Gym Leader intently, his entire being wrapped up in the vision he was receiving. _'What is it about her? Something...there's something strange about this girl, but I can't tell what. Something...she's dangerous.' _

No one really knows where Khyris came from. It just—appeared, one day. Some said that it was a magical construct; some said it was a demigod cast from the heavens because of its evil nature; some just shrugged and shook their heads. And people didn't know because Khyris was the only one of its kind. It almost looked like a Ninetales-changeling, if such a thing were possible; a weird mix of Pokèmon and human. It had long silver hair that reached its lower back, and its pointed ears were long, with two feathers behind each one. It stood on two legs; its body was covered with silky, silvery-black fur, and its face was slightly pointed, enough to hint at being a muzzle while remaining humanlike. It had two silver fang-like marks on its face, one under each eye and three long furred tails, the same shade of silvery-black as its fur. Its fingers were long with silver clawlike nails. Its almond-shaped, light grey eyes had an unmistakably human gaze, and they seemed to know everything about you—because it was most likely true; its psychic powers were unmatched by any being, be it Pokèmon or human. In truth, Khyris was genderless—which is why people agreed with "him" when he said that he wasn't natural.

As he watched Jacine dissappear into the Gym, a small, sinister smile quirked the corners of his mouth. He gently flicked a hint into her mind, which would surface in a few minutes._'There. When she decides to take my hint and journey to my domain, then I can find out more about her.'  
_

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Master: When a boy is not yet old enough to be called "sir," he is called "Master."

Well, what do you think? You like? You hate? Please review!

-Windsong windsong 137 at gmail dot com


	2. Chapter 2

All the Japanese names I use in this fic mean something. Want to know what they mean? Go look it up. Seriously! Look it up! They all mean something! And it might interest you enough that you'll decide to learn Japanese, like I'm doing.

Well, this is chapter two. Yay! Disclaimers: um, lessee...Pokemon disclaimers...yells over her shoulders AVI!

Avi: -pops up, looking hassled- What is it _this_ time?  
Windsong: What are the disclaimers for Pokemon?  
Avi: Here. -Throws a book at Windsong's head, then disappears-  
Windsong: -Windsong barely dodges flying book and snags it out of the air- AVI! WATCH WHERE YOU THROW THAT THING! And thanks...-flips through book- Pokemon...hm...Aha! -Puts on "professor" glasses and suddenly looks smart-  
I don't own anything to do with Pokemon. Pokemon is owned by...um...-looks back at book- Satoshi Tajiri, who invented it, Game Freak Inc., Creatures Inc., 4Kids entertainment, Kids WB, and Nintendo. -Shuts book, takes off "professor" glasses- I worked VERY hard on the plot and characterization. Therefore...please do not steal any of my ideas. The Akumu-Gumi's mine, Bluebell's mine, Jacine's mine, Azure's mine, Azulan's mine, Aspenleaf Island's mine, Sunrose City's mine, Geldar are mine, Anything that doesn't belong in the original storyline, which in this fic is just about everything, belongs to me. -sigh- Get it?  
THANKS, AVI! YOU CAN HAVE IT BACK NOW! -Hurls disclaimer book in Avi's general direction without really looking- -Book hits Avirilli in the back of her head-  
Avi: YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT! -Eyes glow red-  
Windsong: Uh-oh...-Runs for dear life-

Notes:  
-The Akumu-Gumi is the predecessor to Team Rocket. The Akumu-Gumi are in actuality a group of evil ninja that use Pokèmon to achieve their goals. They are more ruthless, cruel, and competent than the Team Rocket we all know and love today. Akumu means "nightmare" in Japanese. Gumi means "Group". Akumu-Gumi means "group of nightmares". Nice, friendly name, ain't it?  
-The word "Geldar" is a composite word of "Eagle" and "Glider". It's a water/flying/ice type. Yes, Geldars are based on herons and not eagles. No, I am not going to change the name. Yes, if you keep asking me questions I will attack you, and sic Avi on you. sweet smile

Enjoy!

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Jacine  
_By Windsong_**  
Chapter Two**

Jacine left the Sunrose City gym and rode her Rapidash, Windflame, across the city to the outskirts, riding past small houses made out of stone, shops, dojos, schools, holy shrines, and smithies. The small houses began to give way to houses with larger areas of land, complete with small gardens. Turning a right so that she was now heading south instead of east, Jacine slowed her Rapidash to a walk so she could fully enjoy the beauty of the land. _'Even after living here for three years, I'm still amazed by how beautiful the Southern Area is.'_ she thought. Jacine continued to ride through the rolling hills and plains of farmland that filled the fertile lands slightly to the south of the bustling "heart" of the city. Though this southern area was still considered part of the city, it was totally different from the other areas. This is where Professor Bluebell, her guardian, lived, because Bluebell claimed that any closer to the center of the city would be too noisy.

Riding up the slight hill to the house, she dismounted and took care of her Rapidash before walking into the house. "I'm home," she called as she took off her shoes and put her glaive by the door.

A middle-aged woman with brown hair fading towards grey and faint wrinkles showing her age, cheerful bright blue eyes, and wearing a simple green kimono bustled in at the noise, smiling broadly when she caught sight of the Gym Leader. "Jacine! You're back later than usual." The woman's voice was rich and musical.

"I had to battle someone."

"And did you win?"

Jacine nodded as put her shoes in the closet.

"Good for you!" Professor Bluebell walked down the stairs to hug her surrogate daughter. "Did you have breakfast yet?"

"I had it at the Gym. How's the research doing?"

"Well, I've been studying the habits of Oddish, and it's not going all that great. I'm sure there are things that I'm just not seeing."

"Hmm." Jacine followed Bluebell up the stairs. "Maybe they're nocturnal?"

Bluebell's eyes brightened. "You know, that may be it. Though it'll be strange; the closest pokemon Oddish are related to are Bellsprout, and they're diurnal...and why would a grass pokemon be nocturnal?"

"I don't know. But if they are nocturnal, then you can figure out why. I'm going to my room, okay?"

"All right." Bluebell walked back into her study.

Jacine walked in the opposite direction from Bluebell, and then stopped short as a wave of wanderlust washed over her, so powerful that she involuntarily moved backwards towards the stairs and had to grip the stairwell tightly to stop herself. She wanted to go somewhere, _anywhere_, be anyplace in the world rather than here, wanted to see new things and experience new things. It was all she could do to get the wanderlust under control and _not_ run out the door. She quickly walked to her room and closed the door, bracing herself against it as she tried to calm herself. Eventually coming to a decision, she opened the door called for Bluebell before moved to her closet, pulled out a large backpack, and began to pack. Another wave of wanderlust whammed into her; she sat down and took several deep breaths before continuing.

Suddenly, Jacine's guardian was in her bedroom. "What's all the ruckus?" However, once Bluebell got a look at the half-packed bags, the look on her face clearly said that she already knew what the ruckus was about.

"I'm leaving." Jacine said, by way of explanation. No more needed to be said; Jacine had told her guardian, before she left on her pokemon quest, about the strange urges, that Bluebell had dubbed "wanderlust", that ran through her every now and then. In her original town, a small village near Lavender Town, there was one "wanderer" born every generation. That wanderer had urges that hit him or her periodically, forcing that person to travel the lands until the wanderlust left him. Jacine was the wanderer of her generation, which was why she had left to go on her Pokèmon quest when she was ten—she had been hit by wanderlust.

Bluebell sighed. "I know you have to—but—" _'but I don't want to lose you. I know the dangers you faced on your Pokèmon quest. How the Akumu-Gumi threatened your life—'_

Jacine looked at her adopted mother sadly. "I'm really sorry, but...you know it only gets worse if I ignore them—" She sucked in a breath as another wave of wanderlust slammed into her.

Bluebell sat down next to Jacine on her bed. "All right. Where are you going?"

"I think I'll go over to visit some friends of mine in Jhoto. I haven't talked to them in a while, and even though your pidgey's very dependable and we exchange letters constantly, talking to them in person would be nice."

"Well...all right," Bluebell agreed reluctantly. Jacine smiled and began packing again. _'I'll get there by boat. Or maybe my pidgeot can fly me—it's certainly big enough so that I can ride on its back, and it's cheaper. Yes, that's what I'll do.'_

"Jacine...there's something I wanted to ask you, for a long time."

Jacine looked at Bluebell warily. "Yes?"

"Well...I've never been one to pry...but...I've been wanting to know ever since you came into my care, what is the story of your past? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," She continued hurriedly as the uneasy silence threatened to drown out the conversation, "but I'm just curious. You've always been rather closed off and seperate from the world...and I wonder why you are that way. And I have the most persistent feeling that you're—well, something tells me you're not coming back this time." The professor laughed a little helplessly. "I don't know, maybe it's just an old woman's ravings, but I'd like to know you, the you before you met me...before you go. In case this is the last time I ever see you."

The uncomfortable silence that Bluebell had fought off so valiantly came crashing down with a silent roar. Jacine gave her mother a long, measuring look, and said nothing for a long time. Then, with a sigh, she began.

"I try not to think about my past, usually, because it is too painful...too many terrible things happened, and if I thought about it, it would obsess me. However, you have been my mother for three years, and I trust you.

"I was born in a small village called Blue, a village off the Eastern Coast near Lavender town. In fact, it used to lie directly across from Aspenleaf Island. My mother was a trainer. My father was a fisherman, because Blue was a fishing village. We were not terribly rich, but we always had enough to get by. As Blue was close to the coast, many of the people there trained water pokemon. We had several rare pokemon, including Gyrados," Bluebell's eyes widened, for nearly nothing was known about Gyrados, and next to none were trained because of their wild temperament. "Starmie, and Lapras." Bluebell was fiercely intrigued; all the Pokèmon that Jacine had mentioned were very rare and nearly nothing was known about any of them. As a matter of fact, the Starmie had been discovered only a year ago, and knowing that the people of her village had not only known, but _trained_ these pokemon long before piqued her interest.

"I must go to your village sometime!" Bluebell cried. "Why didn't you tell me about this before?"

"You're welcome to try and find it. You'll find nothing left." Jacine's voice was harsh and bitter; her eyes were full of pain.

Bluebell realized she had made a mistake, and looked down. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right..." Jacine sighed and closed her eyes.

"What happened to Blue?" Bluebell prompted gently.

"The Akumu-Gumi heard of all the rare water Pokèmon that we posessed...and were very interested." Bluebell's eyes widened again, this time in fear and horror. The Akumu-Gumi were very true to their name...and only the strongest Pokèmon trainers and most courageous people didn't fear them greatly. Strong, cruel, and heartless, the Akumu-Gumi was a name barely whispered throughout the land. The people who upheld the law were too afraid of them to stand in their way. The only thing you could do was either stand against them, and most likely be killed...or keep your head down and try to avoid their interest. The Akumu-Gumi's interest was deadly, for if you had something that they wanted, they would kill without a second thought to get it.

Jacine continued, though Bluebell could tell it was hard for her to talk. "The Akumu came to Blue when I was eight, stole all the Pokèmon, killed everyone, and burned the village until not even the foundations of the houses and buildings remained. I am the lone survivor of that attack, because my mother put me on her Rapidash's back, the fastest animal in the village and bade him run as fast as he could away from the village. They chased me, but Brightblaze was too fast for them to catch. The other pokemon that people tried to escape on were too slow; they, too, had Rapidashes, and hunted those people down." Jacine's eyes were closed, and her voice and face were tight from the strain of keeping the pain of remembering in check.

"Brightblaze was your mother's Rapidash?" Bluebell ventured to comment, trying to move Jacine's mind on to other matters.

Jacine kept her eyes closed, but her voice sounded less tense when she answered. "Yes. Brightblaze ran until he reached the grasslands near Vermilion City, where he stopped and joined a group of Rapidash and Ponyta. I lived them for a year, and because of that I learned how to speak with Ponyta and Rapidash. After a while, your younger brother Kuuki, who as you know was a Pokèmon breeder, found me and took me in, and civilized me again. He began to teach me the way to look after and train Pokèmon, finishing the training that my mother had given me earlier. When he felt I was ready to begin training on my own, he gave me the egg of a Ponyta—Windflame's egg. Windflame was my first Pokèmon.

"Soon after that, Kuuki passed away, and sent me into your custody. The rest you know." Bluebell remembered. Jacine had won Bluebell's heart quickly, and after the first year it was hard to think of the girl as anything else but her daughter. Quiet and polite, she had a distance to everyone that was impossible to breach, but she had a demonic streak of mischief and good humor buried deep within, though it took quite a bit of prodding to nudge her hidden character out into the open.

Jacine had stayed with the kindly professor until she was ten, when she went on her Pokèmon Quest and exacted her revenge on the Akumu-Gumi. She traveled and became the powerful Pokèmon trainer she was today, she traveled and defeated not only the Gym Leaders and the Elite Four of Kanto, but she traveled to Jhoto and defeated all the Gym Leaders there and the Magnificent Seven, the equivalent to the Elite Four. When she returned to Sunrose City two years later she asked for permission to found a Gym at Sunrose City, of which she would be the leader. She asked that the Gym be recognized by both the Elite Four of Kanto and the Magnificent Seven of Jhoto, but that the Gym Badge was not required to challenge by the Elite Four and the Magnificent Seven, so she would "not be bothered by every single half-witted trainer who wanted to complete the Gym Challenges", as she said. The Elite Four and Magnificent Seven agreed and granted her quest, making her the youngest Gym Leader ever—and one of the most powerful. She had stayed at Sunrose City for the past two years, training her followers and battling trainers that challenged her. She won more often than she lost, but she did lose every now and then.

Neither one spoke for a long time. Jacine continued packing, and when she finished she closed the clasp on her bag and stood, slinging the travel packs onto her shoulders.

"Jacine—" The Gym Leader turned. "Thank you for trusting me. You will travel alone?"

"That was my intention."

"How long will you be away?" Bluebell knew the answer.

"When the wanderlust passes. How long that will be, I can't say."

Jacine's adopted mother nodded sadly, and followed her surrogate daughter down the stairs.

"Jacine—don't leave until I get down." Bluebell yelled down the stairs.

"Hai," Jacine called back.

Bluebell ran into the aviary, and called a pidgey to her hand. Scribbling something quickly on a piece of paper, she handed to her Pokèmon. "Give this to Azulan. It's urgent." The pidgey cheeped and flew off at top speed. She then took the time to pick out anything Jacine had forgotten, and came downstairs.

Jacine was clearly impatient to go, pacing back and forth across the living room. "Here—you forgot a few things." She handed Jacine what she had forgotten.

"I travel light."

"And what happens if you get stuck?"

"I manage. My Pokèmon should be able to get me out of any situation."

_'God, will Azulan hurry up?!'_ "Are you sure?"

"I've survived so far." Jacine's voice had dry humor in it. "I think, if I could survive when I was ten, when I wasn't as strong as I was now, I will be able to survive now that I am older."

"I know. I'm being an idiot, aren't I?" Bluebell laughed nervously. _'WILL HE HURRY UP?!'_

"No, merely a doting mother who wants to keep her daughter from danger." Jacine smiled suddenly, and hugged Bluebell. "I'm sorry, I have to leave, but—" She sucked in another breath as the wanderlust overpowered her for a second. "They're getting stronger...I must go now, before I can't control them anymore..."

"All right." Bluebell followed Jacine, who walked out the door to the paddock in the front yard, snagging her glaive from where it rested against the doorframe as she walked. Pulling out a Pokèball, she opened it, releasing the Pokèmon that rested inside. "Pidgeot!" he cried.

"Hurricane, ready to fly?" She asked him affectionately as she stroked his crown. The Pidgeot crooned as it leaned into her gentle touch, and nodded happily. "All right then, let's go." She swung up on his back as he spread his wings.

"JACIIIIIIIIIINE! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!" Azulan's voice rang out as he ran up to their house, clambering over the low fence that enclosed the paddock.

"Azulan!" Jacine was clearly startled. "What are you doing here?"

He caught his breath as he grinned rather crazily up at her. "What, you didn't think you were going to go off and have some great adventures without your some company along, didya?"

Jacine looked at him as if he had grown another head. "What're you talking about?"

"I'm coming with you. No fair that you get to have all the fun!"

"That's impossible." Her tone was stern. "You are my second-in-command, you have to stay in order to take my place as Gym Leader while I'm gone."

"Relax, it's taken care of. Tsubasa's going to take care of it; he's quite a capable trainer. Or, if you'd rather, we'll just close down the Gym. It's not like we're a mandatory gym or anything."

Jacine sighed. "Bluebell, you told him I was leaving, didn't you?"

"Guilty as charged," Bluebell said with a laugh. "I don't want you going off by yourself. I'm a doting mother, after all."

"Come on, lemme come! After all, I ran all this way...and I want to see what Jhoto's like! And I want to get some badges! Pleeeeeease?!" Azulan jumped up and down.

Jacine sighed, then smiled. "I surrender, I'm outnumbered anyway. Fine, you can come. Got a flying-type on you?"

Azulan looked chagrined. "Anou...I thought we were going by boat...so I only brought my water-types." Jacine gave him a look. "Hey! I specialize in water, remember! Isn't my fault!"

Jacine sighed. "My Butterfree should do..."

"No, it won't; Butterfree have good wing strength but not good wing span. It could carry you maybe two miles, but that's it. I got it covered. Wait here." Bluebell ran into the house, and emerged with a Pokèball. She released the Pokèmon inside. "This should do the trick."

"Geeeeeel-dar!" The Pokèmon screeched as it spread its wings. A Pokèmon larger than a Pidgeot, it had a huge wingspan length longer than a Fearow's—wingtip to wingtip, it was thirty feet long. Its wings were covered with silver feathers, except for the flight feathers, which were a light blue in the center of each feather and a deep blue at the edge. It stood at 5'3"—an inch shorter than Jacine. With bright, intelligent blue eyes, a long silver beak and brilliant dark blue plumage, it was one of the showiest Pokèmon there were. Its tail was blue, rather long and brushlike, with two long feathers each a yard long stretching out. Each elongated feather was deep blue, almost black at the base, and then shaded up to a light, silvery blue color at the tip. It had sharp bluish-silver talons coming from long scaled silver legs. The Geldar's neck was about half as long as a fearow's was, and from the top of its head to about the base of its head sprouted a crest made up of long feathers, starting with silvery-blue at the base and eventually turning navy blue at the tips. The feathers of the crest were very long and gave the impression that the crest ended at around the middle of its neck, even though the feather roots stopped at the base of its head.

Azulan's jaw dropped. "A Geldar..."

Jacine yelped. "Bluebell! Why on EARTH didn't you tell me you had caught a Geldar?!"

The reason they were both shocked was because there were perilously few Geldar left in the world. Usually showoffs, they had been very populous in the marshes and wetlands where they lived, but because their feathers were so stunning they were hunted by humans, to the point of over-hunting. Also, as Fearow had been recently introduced into their habitat, they now had to fight with the Fearow for food, nearly decimating their food supply and consequently starving the Geldar. The Fearow could fly to other habitats to find food, as they were scavengers who could eat just about anything; Geldar were not so lucky, having evolved to eat fish and a few aquatic plants, and nothing else. As a result of this, the Geldar were on the verge of dying out altogether, and because of this it was extremely rare to even _**see**_ a Geldar in one's lifetime, much less one up close, and catching one was nearly impossible. [As a matter of fact, Geldar became extinct long before Ash's time, and they were eventually forgotten, except in legends. Some say that the Articuno is the last living relative of the Geldar. sniff So sad.

Bluebell grinned. "It was sent to me as a last gift by my brother, Kuuki. He had been breeding Geldar and releasing them into the wild, in an effort to save the Geldar from extinction. Unfortunately, he found that breeding them was exceptionally hard; they have very specific setting, temperature, diet, and mate requirements before an egg hatches. That's another reason they're dying out, he said. He sent me this Geldar, one of about thirty he was able to breed before he passed away."

"Does it have a name?"

"Yes. His name is Crystallyne."

"Geldar!" Crystallyne cried.

"Pidgeot!" Hurricane cried in return.

"Well it seems those two are ready to go, are you?" Bluebell smiled at Azulan and Jacine. They nodded.

"I'll return Crystallyne to you when we get to Jhoto—"

"Why bother sending a pidgey with that pokeball? It's too much trouble. Besides, we've learned all we can from the Geldar. There's no point in letting a perfectly good pokemon sit in a pokeball for the rest of its life. Keep him. My brother would have wanted Crystal to be out and about anyway." Bluebell smiled at Azulan.

Azulan's eyes widened. "Y-you're not serious, are you?" He asked in disbelief.

"Perfectly serious," Bluebell replied. Crystal's all yours. But if you mistreat him—" The Pokèmon researcher fixed him with a stern stare.

"Bluebell! You've known Azulan since he was a little one! Of course he would never do such a thing!" Jacine scolded. _'I wouldn't have let him become a member of the Sunrose City Gym if he was.'_

"I know, I know..."

Azulan took his seat on top of the Geldar—Jacine had never gotten off of her Pidgeot—and the two slowly rose into the air.

"Take care of that Geldar, you hear?" Bluebell yelled after them. "And take care of yourselves as well! Don't hesitate to send me letters every now and then!"

"Hai!" Jacine and Azulan called back. Azulan waved cheerily. Jacine did not, instead leaning forward to urge her Pidgeot into a slightly faster pace.

"Oi, Jacine, wait for me!" Crystallyne squawked indignantly and speeded up to match the Pidgeot.

------

Their trip from Aspenleaf Island to Jhoto took many days, with many stops along the way. After all, they did have to fly across all of Kanto and a fairly large sea to reach Jhoto. Luckily, Jacine knew many people from her Pokèmon quest, and they were able to cross the continent without having to stay at an inn.

They finally landed just outside New Bark Town in Jhoto. Azulan looked around, wide-eyed. "I never knew the world was so big..." Azulan had never set foot off of Aspenleaf, and was a little dazed by all the new sights and experiences.

"Oh, don't worry, it's bigger. I just don't know the rest of it." Jacine assured him. She patted Hurricane on the head. "Thanks a million, Hurricane. You were great." She then recalled her Pidgeot, releasing her Rapidash in its place. Windflame neighed merrily, happy at being released. Jacine climed up onto Windflame's back. Azulan recalled Crystallyne, and swung up behind Jacine. Windflame broke into a brisk trot.

Out of the tall grasses, a mass of Spearow errupted. They swarmed like bees, cawing angrily before deciding to dive-bomb Jacine and Azulan. "Eep..." Azulan muttered.

Jacine smiled confidently, and even a bit fiendishly. "Don't worry. I got it covered. Lightstorm!" She released her Jolteon. "Flash 'em! Cover your eyes, Azulan!" She warned her partner.

"Joooooooool-te-ON!" A blinding flash whited out the area for a brilliant moment. Jacine and Azulan covered their eyes. The Spearow began to mill about confusedly, having been blinded by the attack. "Azulan, call out one of your Pokèmon!"

Throwing a pokeball, a starmie appeared. "Starmie, Psychic!" Starmie's core began to glow.

Before the Spearow could recover from the first attack, a wave of psychic power blasted them backwards. They shrieked in pain. Some of them, the few that were left concious from the brutal blast, began to peck and fight with one another. Azulan looked upwards with satisfaction. "That should take care of them."

"Amazing! You were able to defeat that hoarde of Spearow so easily!" A surprised voice exclaimed from the tall grass.

Jacine pulled her glaive into a defensive position. "Who speaks?"

"None but I, a wandering pokemon trainer." The person came out of the grasses. He was older than Jacine and Azulan, and wore his brown hair long, pulled into a small ponytail at the back of his neck. He wore small glasses, that rimmed intelligent black eyes. He wore the ceremonial robes of a noble. Azulan's eyes widened. _'What's a noble doing, hiding in the grass like a thief?'_

Jacine whinnied softly to Windflame. -_Do you think he's okay?-_

Windflame peered in the noble's direction. _-He's not a threat, and if necessary we could take him on easily._- Windflame replied.

Jacine dismounted, still holding her glaive at her side; Azulan followed her lead.

The noble looked over the two trainers. As he noticed Jacine's and Azulan's glaives, his eyes widened. "You two are from Aspenleaf Island, off the coast of Kanto, are you not?" Jacine and Azulan nodded. "You have come a long way. You are from Sunrose City...Do you possibly know the Gym Leader that resides there?"

"That would be me." Jacine said cautiously.

His eyes brightened. "Jacine-san! It is I, Kashi!"

Jacine looked surprised. "Kashi-sama? You've certainly grown! How have you been keeping?"

"I could say the same for you," Kashi laughed. "I have been well, and you?"

"Very well. I'm glad that your lands seem to be prospering."

"Hey! What about me?" Azulan looked indignant.

"Oh, gomen ne, Azulan...This is Naru Kashi-sama, whose family rules the lands around this area. I met him on my Pokèmon quest, when I battled him. Kashi-sama, this is Azulan Skydancer, my second-in-command of the Sunrose City Gym."

"Also her koibito," Azulan chirped cheerfully.

Kashi blinked. "Ah. I see. Well, Jacine-san, where are you headed?"

"Actually, we were just wandering." She thought about it. _'I don't ever remember having a bout of wanderlust this strong. Does that mean that it will last longer?'_

Windflame whinnied. What's wrong? You're zoning out...

Nothing. I'm fine. Jacine replied reassuringly.

Kashi smiled. "Well, then, would you like to take a short rest at my home? You must be tired from your long flight here." He gave Jacine a look of dry humor. "I see that your Windflame evolved."

Windflame tossed her head proudly, stomped a foot, and snorted good-naturedly. Jacine grinned over at her Pokèmon fondly.

Azulan leaned over to Jacine. "I've never been in a noble's house before..." Azulan whispered.

"We would be honored if we could spend the night at your home, Kashi-sama," Jacine bowed low, kicking Azulan. Azulan yelped and hurriedly bowed as well.

Kashi smiled. "Didn't I tell you to just call me Kashi?"

Jacine smiled in response. "Yes, you did, Kashi-sama. But tradition is tradition, and laws are laws. I will not break either."

"There is no such law requiring you to call me by the proper honorific here."

"There is in Kanto, and I am bound by those laws no matter where I go. And even if there isn't a law in place here, there is certainly a tradition to uphold." Jacine gave him an 'I'm sorry but it's not my choice' look.

Kashi sighed. "It's just that everyone calls me 'Kashi-sama' here..."

"Perfect, then, so we're fitting in!" Azulan grinned.

Kashi just sighed. Come, let's be off."

* * *

Okay, I know, it's random, it's half-filler, I DON'T CARE! I'm high on anime! ZOIDS! So cool! And Yu Yu Hakusho is love. (I'm talking about the subbed of YYH, by the way. The dubbed version deserves to be shot repeatedly until it dies, and then revived, and then shot some more, and...you get the point.) Random advertising for my most recent anime addictions. I don't care how shameless it is. THEY'RE GOOD ANIME DARNIT!

Well, that was random, and I'm a bit calmer now. And, since it is one in the morning, I should go to sleep or else I'm going to die in school. -groan-

Ja ne!

Windsong - windsong 137 at gmail dot com


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